Upcoming Faculty Teaching Visit with Christopher Loss on September 24th
Sep. 17, 2013—The Teaching Visits program is an important way by which the CFT promotes collaborative inquiry and reflection. Specifically, the Teaching Visits program provides case-based opportunities for Vanderbilt teachers to consider choices they have when constructing their classes. A small group of visitors observes a host’s class on a selected day and then engages in an hour...
Upcoming Teaching. Writing. Learning: Conversation with Scott Juengel
Sep. 11, 2013— Sponsored by the Center for Teaching, the Writing Studio, and the Heard Library; “Teaching. Writing. Learning.” is a series of monthly lunchtime conversations for anyone who teaches writing at Vanderbilt to gather and discuss specific issues, hear an invited colleague briefly introduce a relevant best practice, hear a bit about other research-based practices, share one’s...
The Mindful PhD: Paying Attention
Sep. 10, 2013—by Nancy Chick, CFT Assistant Director I hope my first two posts whetted your appetite, and now you’re wondering how to start. Call it “stealth mindfulness”: you’ve already started. “A Beginning” turned your attention to your breath, and “The Easy Way & The Easier Way” challenged you to sit for two minutes each day—two simple...
Conversations on Teaching Writing Under Way
Sep. 5, 2013—“Teaching. Writing. Learning.,” the new series of conversations on teaching writing across the campus, began last Wednesday. Emily King (English), Richard Lloyd (Sociology), and Jonathan Gilligan (Earth & Environmental Sciences) were the invited guests for kick-off event entitled “Starting the Conversation: A Panel on Inspiring Your Students to Write.” Emily emphasized the need to define...
The Mindful PhD: The Easy Way & The Easier Way
Sep. 4, 2013—by Nancy Chick, CFT Assistant Director I came to mindfulness only in recent years—first through a regular yoga practice and a handful of retreats, then through guided meditation, then through a mindfulness-based stress-reduction (MBSR) course and a few multi-day workshops, and now through a weekly mindfulness-teacher training group. It’s only slight hyperbole to say that...
Students as Producers: An Introduction
Sep. 3, 2013—by Derek Bruff, CFT Director As I announced last month, this year many of the Center for Teaching’s workshops, conversations, and other resources for the Vanderbilt teaching community will be part of our “Students as Producers” theme. I first heard the term “student as producer” in a keynote by the University of Lincoln’s Mike Neary...
The Mindful PhD: A Beginning
Aug. 29, 2013—by Nancy Chick, CFT Assistant Director I’ve never been much of a blogger—I don’t even follow many blogs—but here I start a blog series. Why? Based on my constellation of experiences and what I’ve been learning more recently, I have something to say to my fellow PhDs and PhDs-in-training.* But more about my story next...
Conversations about Teaching Writing: Kick-off This Wednesday
Aug. 26, 2013—Join us this Wednesday at 12:10 in the Community Room of the Central Library for the kick-off event of our new series of conversations about teaching writing. “Teaching. Writing. Learning.” is a series of monthly lunchtime conversations for anyone who teaches writing at Vanderbilt to gather and discuss specific issues, hear an invited colleague briefly introduce a relevant...
Lessons Learned from Vanderbilt’s First MOOCs
Aug. 19, 2013—by Derek Bruff, CFT Director When Vanderbilt announced its massive open online course (MOOC) initiative almost twelve months ago, one of the stated goals of the project was to explore ways that digital technologies might enhance Vanderbilt’s teaching mission. As faculty, staff, and students worked over the last year to launch Vanderbilt’s first three MOOCs,...
CFT Proudly Welcomes the 2013 Cohort of Junior Faculty Teaching Fellows!
Aug. 19, 2013— This year’s Junior Faculty Teaching Fellows are, left to right, Markus Eberl (Anthropology), Max Goldman (Classics), Will Grissom (Biomedical Engineering), Chase Lesane-Brown (Psychology and Human Development), Bryan Lowe (Religious Studies), Gavin Price (Psychology and Human Development), Brian Widmar (Nursing), and Courtney Young (Nursing). Research by Robert Boice (Advice for New Faculty, 2000) and others...